GREG KINNEAR (Frank Herlihy) is an Academy Award®-nominated actor who continues to build upon his already impressive resume with roles in many diverse projects. He was most recently seen starring opposite Tina Fey in Universal’s comedy “Baby Mama,” and will be seen in this fall’s “Flash of Genius” co-starring Lauren Graham. He recently completed production on the Paul Greengrass-directed war drama “Green Zone” alongside Matt Damon and Amy Ryan, which is slated for a 2009 release.
Kinnear starred in “Little Miss Sunshine,” the critically-acclaimed hit of the Sundance Film Festival, as a struggling motivational coach who leads his family on an eventful road trip so that his seven-year-old daughter can realize her dream of competing in a beauty pageant. Lauded by critics nationwide, “Little Miss Sunshine” went on to garner several Academy Award® nominations and Independent Spirit Awards. Kinnear, Steve Carell, Alan Arkin, Abigail Breslin, Paul Dano and Toni Collette collectively won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.
Kinnear segued from beauty pageants to the gridiron, starring opposite Mark Wahlberg in the hit film “Invincible,” the real-life tale of Vince Papale, a 30-year-old bartender who goes to an open-tryout of the Philadelphia Eagles organized by the team’s new coach Dick Vermeil (Kinnear). He then starred in Richard Linklater's “Fast Food Nation,” based on the best-selling book by Eric Schlosser, as well as “Feast of Love” directed by Robert Benton and co-starring Morgan Freeman.
Kinnear made his feature film debut in the Sydney Pollack-directed remake “Sabrina,” in which he co-starred with Harrison Ford and Julia Ormond. In 1997, Kinnear starred alongside Jack Nicholson as his unfortunate neighbor, Simon, in James L. Brooks’ Academy Award®-nominated film “As Good as It Gets.” His performance garnered him not only an Academy Award® nomination, but also earned him the honor of being named Best Supporting Actor by the National Board of Review; he was also nominated in the same category for a Golden Globe and a SAG Award.
Following his Oscar®-nominated performance in “As Good as It Gets,” he co-starred in Nora Ephron’s romantic hit comedy “You've Got Mail” with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, as well as Mike Nichols’ “What Planet Are You From?”
Kinnear’s performance of actor and comedian Bob Crane in “Auto Focus,” Paul Schraders’ critically-acclaimed biopic, was considered by many critics as a turning point in showing Kinnear’s dramatic range and depth as an actor. Some of Kinnear’s other credits include “The Matador” with Pierce Brosnan; director Neil LaBute’s black comedy “Nurse Betty” opposite Renee Zellweger, Morgan Freeman and Chris Rock; the highly successful animated film “Robots,” to which Kinnear lent his voice as Ratchet; “We Were Soldiers” with Mel Gibson; and the Farrelly brothers’ comedy “Stuck on You,” in which he co-starred with Matt Damon.
Kinnear first gained prominence as the animated, wisecracking host of E! Entertainment Television’s “Talk Soup” in 1991. As the first host of “Talk Soup,” he was the master of not one, but of all talk shows with his witty commentary on clips from such programs as “Sally Jesse Raphael,” “Jerry Springer” and “Montel.” Eventually taking on the additional role of executive producer on the show, Kinnear earned an Emmy Award and rave reviews, and established a cult following.
As the popularity of “Talk Soup” grew, Kinnear captured the attention of NBC executives who were searching for a replacement for Bob Costas. In 1994, after three successful seasons with “Talk Soup,” Kinnear left the show permanently and became the host and executive producer of his own NBC late-night talk show, “Later with Greg Kinnear.”
Kinnear grew up virtually all over the world as his family followed his State Department-employed father to disparate locales such as Logansport, Indiana; Washington, D.C.; Beirut, Lebanon; and Athens, Greece.
He currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife and daughters.
IN THEATERS September 19, 2008
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